Engine cooling system, electronic thermostat control system and control method for the same

ABSTRACT

An electronic thermostat control system may include a control duty determination portion outputting PWM duty signal for controlling the coolant temperature according to a coolant temperature, a rising rate of the coolant temperature, an engine speed, a load and a vehicle speed, a driving portion applying a time condition to the PWM duty signal output by the control duty determination portion for controlling outputting interval, and a fault diagnosis portion diagnosing operations of the electronic thermostat by analyzing the signals output by the driving portion and changes of the coolant temperature.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/746,948, filed Jan. 22, 2013, which claims priority to KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2012-0037226 filed on Apr. 10, 2012, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein for all purposes bythese references.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an engine cooling system, an electronicthermostat control system and a control method for the same which mayactively control coolant temperature according to an operation conditionof a vehicle and implement fault diagnosis so as to satisfy OBD (OnBoard Diagonostics) regulations.

Description of Related Art

In a combustion stroke, high temperature about 2000-2500° C. generatedwithin an engine is transmitted to cylinder walls, a cylinder head, apiston valve and so on so as to deteriorate strength of elements. So,breakdown, lift-shortening, knocking, early ignition may occur.

If the engine is over cooled for solving the above problems, efficiencyof the engine may be deteriorated and fuel consumption may be increased.

So, a thermostat is provided to an engine for maintaining coolanttemperature within about 80-90° C.

The thermostat is disposed between the engine and the radiator andchanges displacement of a valve according to changes of coolanttemperature, and thus flowing amount flowing through the radiator isadjusted. Accordingly, the coolant is maintained within appropriatetemperature, for example about 80-90° C.

That is, the thermostat changes the displacement of the valve for thecoolant to flow through the radiator when the coolant temperature ishigher than a predetermined temperature, and the valve is closed tobypass the radiator if the coolant temperature is less than apredetermined temperature.

A mechanical thermostat expands wax provided thereto depending only on atemperature of the coolant, and therefore, the mechanical thermostat maynot be operated actively against changes of the driving circumstances ofthe vehicle.

Furthermore, while cooling systems of a vehicle are generally designedto satisfy the toughest driving condition, such as, a full load, forexample, actual driving is generally conducted within about 70% of afull load. Accordingly, over cooling of the engine often occurs, whichresults in a decrease in engine efficiency, an increase in fuelconsumption, and an increase in harmful exhaust particles.

In order to overcome these drawbacks, several attempts have been made toprovide an adjustable electronic thermostat valve that optimizes thecoolant temperature.

One such electronic thermostat is an electronic thermostat valve havinga heating means that cooperates with expansion of a wax element. Theelectronic thermostat valve includes a plug for supplying electronicpower and a heater for heating the wax.

The electric power supplied to the heater changes upon drivingconditions such as speed of a vehicle, temperature of intake air, andload conditions.

However, a drawback of this electronic thermostat is that the thermostatmay not actively response to variable conditions such as operationconditions of a vehicle, rising or descending of coolant temperature andso on.

Also, diagnosis functions for detecting malfunction of the coolingsystem is not included and thus it may not satisfy OBD regulations.

The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section isonly for enhancement of understanding of the general background of theinvention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form ofsuggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to aperson skilled in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing anelectronic thermostat control system and a control method for the samewhich may actively control coolant temperature according to an operationcondition of a vehicle and implement fault diagnosis so as to satisfyOBD (On Board Diagonostics) regulations.

In an aspect of the present invention, an electronic thermostat controlsystem may include an electronic thermostat provided with a heater anddisposed in a coolant line connecting an engine and a radiator forcontrolling flowing direction and amount of coolant, a coolanttemperature sensor detecting coolant temperature exhausted from theengine, and a control portion controlling operations of the electronicthermostat according to the coolant temperature and driving conditionsof a vehicle, wherein the control portion controls operation state ofthe heater as 100% when a detected coolant temperature by the coolanttemperature sensor is higher than a predetermined maximum temperature,wherein the control portion controls the operation state of the heateras 0% when the detected coolant temperature by the coolant temperaturesensor is less than a predetermined minimum temperature, and wherein thecontrol portion controls the operation state of the heater as graduallyincreased or decreased according to change tendency of the coolanttemperature for the coolant not to be hunted when the detected coolanttemperature is below the predetermined maximum temperature and higherthan the predetermined minimum temperature.

The control portion applies a predetermined time condition to a PWM dutysignal to be supplied or cut off repeatedly to the heater provided tothe electronic thermostat for preventing overheating of the heater.

In a state of controlling the heating of the heater, the control portiondetermines malfunction of the electronic thermostat, stores diagnosiscode, and outputs corresponding message when changes of the coolanttemperature does not follow a target temperature.

The control portion determines malfunction of the electronic thermostat,stores diagnosis code, and outputs corresponding message when real PWMduty signal supplied to the heater of the electronic thermostat does notcorrespond to PWM duty signal for controlling the heater applied by thecontrol portion.

The control portion may include a control duty determination portionoutputting PWM duty signal for controlling the detected coolanttemperature according to a coolant temperature, a rising rate of thedetected coolant temperature, an engine speed, a load and a vehiclespeed, a driving portion applying a time condition to the PWM dutysignal output by the control duty determination portion for controllingoutputting interval, and a fault diagnosis portion diagnosing operationsof the electronic thermostat by analyzing the signals output by thedriving portion and changes of the detected coolant temperature.

The control portion outputs PWM duty signal for controlling the coolanttemperature as 100% when the detected coolant temperature is higher thana predetermined maximum temperature, wherein the control portion outputsthe PWM duty signal for controlling the coolant temperature as 0% whenthe detected coolant temperature is less than a predetermined minimumtemperature, and wherein when the detected coolant temperature is belowthe predetermined maximum temperature and higher than the predeterminedminimum temperature, the control portion determines whether risingcondition or descending condition of the coolant temperature, andoutputs the PWM duty signal for controlling the coolant temperature asgradually increased or decreased.

At a state that the coolant temperature is higher than the predeterminedminimum temperature, the control duty determination portion outputs thePWM duty signal as 100% when any one of conditions that the rising rateof the coolant temperature is higher than a predetermined standardrising rate, the engine speed is higher than a predetermined standardrotation speed, the load is higher than a predetermined standard load,the vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined standard vehicle speed.

The control duty determination portion outputs the PWM duty signal asgradually increased when the coolant temperature is higher than thepredetermined minimum temperature, the coolant temperature is higherthan a predetermined reference temperature, and a difference between thecoolant temperature and a target temperature is less than apredetermined high temperature determination value.

The control duty determination portion outputs the PWM duty signal as100% when the coolant temperature is higher than the predeterminedminimum temperature, the coolant temperature is higher than apredetermined reference temperature, and a difference between thecoolant temperature and a target temperature is more than apredetermined high temperature determination value.

The control duty determination portion outputs the PWM duty signal asgradually decreased when the coolant temperature is higher than thepredetermined minimum temperature, the coolant temperature is less thana predetermined reference temperature, and a difference between a targettemperature and the coolant temperature is less than a predetermined lowtemperature determination value.

The control duty determination portion outputs the PWM duty signal as 0%when the coolant temperature is higher than the predetermined minimumtemperature, the coolant temperature is less than a predeterminedreference temperature, and a difference between a target temperature andthe coolant temperature is higher than a predetermined low temperaturedetermination value.

The control duty determination portion may include a first comparatorcomparing the detected coolant temperature with the predeterminedmaximum temperature, a second comparator comparing the detected coolanttemperature with the predetermined minimum temperature, a thirdcomparator comparing rising rate of the detected coolant temperaturewith a standard rising rate, a fourth comparator comparing an enginespeed with a standard rotation speed, a fifth comparator comparing aload with a standard load, a sixth comparator comparing a vehicle speedwith a standard vehicle speed, a seventh comparator comparing an outputof the second comparator with a stored reference temperature andoutputting to a high-side, an eighth comparator comparing the output ofthe second comparator with the stored reference temperature andoutputting to a low-side, a first logical circuit logical summingoutputs from the third comparator to the sixth comparator, a NOT circuitinverting a output of the first logical circuit, a second logicalcircuit implementing AND operation of the outputs of the secondcomparator and the first logical circuit, a third logical circuitimplementing AND operation of outputs of the seventh comparator and theNOT circuit, a fourth logical circuit implementing AND operation ofoutputs of the eighth comparator and the NOT circuit, a fifth logicalcircuit implementing AND operation of the outputs the first comparatorand the second logical circuit, a sixth and seventh logical circuitsimplementing AND operation of the output of the third logical circuitand a compared result of a high temperature determination value and adifference between the detected coolant temperature and a predeterminedtarget temperature, and an eighth and ninth logical circuitsimplementing AND operation of the output of the eighth comparator and acompared result of a low temperature determination value and adifference between the detected coolant temperature and thepredetermined target temperature.

The driving portion outputs 100% duty signal at B time interval when thecontrol duty determination portion outputs the PWM duty signal as 100%,wherein the driving portion adjusts output interval by applying A timeafter the B time interval.

The driving portion may include a logical circuit implementing ANDoperation of the PWM duty signal output by the control dutydetermination portion and a predetermined reference value, a NANDcircuit comparing output of the logical circuit and the PWM duty signaloutput by the control duty determination portion and outputting invertedoutput, a B time circuit maintaining the output of the logical circuitat predetermined B time, and an A time circuit applying a predeterminedtime to an output of the NAND circuit for adjusting output interval.

The fault diagnosis portion determines malfunction of the electronicthermostat when changes of the detected coolant temperature does notfollow a target temperature, or real PWM duty signal supplied to theheater of the electronic thermostat does not correspond to PWM dutysignal for controlling the heater applied by the control portion.

The fault diagnosis portion may include a first comparator comparing thedetected coolant temperature with a malfunction determinationtemperature and outputting to a high-side, a second comparator comparingthe detected coolant temperature with the malfunction determinationtemperature and outputting to a low-side, a first logical circuitimplementing AND operation of an output of the control dutydetermination portion and “0”, a second logical circuit implementing ANDoperation of an output of the first comparator and “0”, a third logicalcircuit implementing AND operation of an output of the second comparatorand “1”, a fourth logical circuit implementing AND operation of theoutput of the control duty determination portion and “1”, a fifthlogical circuit implementing AND operation of the output of the controlduty determination portion and heater output value, a sixth logicalcircuit implementing AND operation of the outputs of the first logicalcircuit and the second logical circuit, a seventh logical circuitimplementing AND operation of outputs of the third logical circuit andthe fourth logical circuit, and an eighth logical circuit logicalsumming the outputs of the fifth logical circuit, the sixth logicalcircuit and the seventh logical circuit and outputting OBD signal of theelectronic thermostat.

In another aspect of the present invention, a control method for anelectronic thermostat control system, may include detecting operationstates of a vehicle including a coolant temperature, a rising rate ofthe detected coolant temperature, an engine speed, a load and a vehiclespeed, determining whether the detected coolant temperature is within apredetermined temperature range, determining whether coolant temperaturechange satisfies a rising control condition or a descending controlcondition when the detected coolant temperature is within thepredetermined temperature range, and adjusting the detected coolanttemperature by controlling an operation of an electronic thermostat, anddiagnosing malfunction of the electronic thermostat by comparing atarget temperature with the detected coolant temperature controlled bythe electronic thermostat.

A valve of the electronic thermostat is opened fully for a coolantflowing through a radiator maximized when the detected coolanttemperature is higher than a maximum temperature of the predeterminedtemperature range, wherein the valve of the electronic thermostat isclosed fully for the coolant flowing through the radiator minimized whenthe detected coolant temperature is less than a minimum temperature ofthe predetermined temperature range.

The malfunction of the thermostat is determined when changes of thedetected coolant temperature does not follow a target temperature, orthe changes of the detected coolant temperature does not correspond to acontrol of the electronic thermostat, and outputting warning message.

In further another aspect of the present invention, an engine coolingsystem may include an engine, a radiator radiating heat absorbed to acoolant, an electronic thermostat disposed on a coolant line connectingthe engine and the radiator and adjusting flowing direction of thecoolant, and a control system controlling an operation of the electronicthermostat to adjust coolant temperature, wherein the control system isdetermined as malfunction when changes of coolant temperature does notfollow a target temperature, or changes of the coolant temperature doesnot correspond to control of the electronic thermostat.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the thermostat mayactively response to variable conditions such as operation conditions ofa vehicle, rising or descending of coolant temperature and so on.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, diagnosis functionsfor detecting malfunction of the cooling system is included and thus itmay satisfy OBD regulations.

The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other featuresand advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in moredetail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, andthe following Detailed Description, which together serve to explaincertain principles of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an engine cooling system according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a control portion of an electronicthermostat control system according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control method for an electronic thermostatcontrol system according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a fault diagnosis for an electronic thermostatcontrol system according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarilyto scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of variousfeatures illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. Thespecific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein,including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations,and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intendedapplication and use environment.

In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent partsof the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of thepresent invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) willbe described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will beunderstood that the present description is not intended to limit theinvention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, theinvention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplaryembodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalentsand other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scopeof the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the following detailed description, only certain exemplaryembodiments of the present invention have been shown and described,simply by way of illustration.

As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments maybe modified in various different ways, all without departing from thespirit or scope of the present invention.

A size and a thickness of each element illustrated in the drawing arearbitrarily represented for the convenience of description, so that thepresent invention is not essentially limited to the drawings, and athickness is expanded in order to clearly express several parts andregions.

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an engine cooling system according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an engine cooling system according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention includes an engine 10, a radiator11, a coolant pump 12, a coolant line 13, a bypass line 14, anelectronic thermostat 15, a cooling fan motor 16, a coolant temperaturesensor 17 and a control portion 100.

The coolant line 13 connects the engine 10 and the radiator 11, and thecoolant pump 12 and the electronic thermostat 15 are disposed on thecoolant line 13.

The radiator 11 radiates heat absorbed to coolant to ambient. Operationsof the cooling fan motor 16 are controlled according to control signalsfrom the control portion 100 based on coolant temperature conditions andvehicle's driving conditions.

The coolant pump 12 is disposed on the coolant line 13 connecting theelectronic thermostat 15 and the engine 10 and allows the coolant toflow.

The coolant pump 12 may be an electronic water pump which may beoperated according to control signals from the control portion 100.

The electronic thermostat 15 is provided with a heater 20 of whichheating value may be controlled by PWM duty signal of the controlportion 100 according to vehicle's driving condition so as to adjustexpansion of a wax within the electronic thermostat 15. If the heater 20outputs heat to expand the wax, opening amount of a valve is controlled,and thus flowing amount and direction of the coolant through theradiator 11 or the bypass line 14 is controlled.

The coolant temperature sensor 17 detects coolant temperature exhaustedfrom the engine 10 and transmits the corresponding signals to thecontrol portion 100.

The control portion 100 receives the signals such as the coolanttemperature ET detected by the coolant temperature sensor 17, an enginespeed RPM, a load LOAD, a vehicle speed and so on, determines operationsconditions of the engine operation, and then determines temperatureconditions of the coolant. The control portion 100 outputs PWM dutysignal for adjusting heating value of the heater 20 provided to theelectronic thermostat 15, and thus opening amount of the valve may beactively controlled for maintaining the coolant temperature foroptimized driving efficiency.

The control portion 100 outputs the PWM duty signal as 100% for theheater 20 to output the heating value as 100% if the detected coolanttemperature ET by the coolant temperature sensor 17 is higher than apredetermined maximum temperature DETH and thus opening amount of thevalve may be maximized.

So, the flowing amount of the coolant flowing though the radiator 11 ismaximized to cool the engine 10.

The control portion 100 outputs the PWM duty signal as 0% for the heater20 to output the heating value as 0% if the detected coolant temperatureET by the coolant temperature sensor 17 is less than a predeterminedminimum temperature DETL.

In this case, the predetermined maximum temperature DETH and the minimumtemperature DETL are determined by experiments for the coolant to bemaintained within appropriate ranges based on material of the engine,operation state and so on.

And thus opening amount of the valve may be minimized for the coolantnot to flow through the bypass line 14.

The control portion 100 outputs the PWM duty signal as graduallyincreased or decreased for the heater 20 to output the heating value asgradually increased or decreased according to the engine speed RPM, theload LOAD, the vehicle speed RPM, and the rising rate of the coolanttemperature EdT if the detected coolant temperature ET is below thepredetermined maximum temperature DETH and higher than the predeterminedminimum temperature DETL.

Thus the opening amount of the valve of the electronic thermostat 15 iscontrolled according to the driving condition, and rising or descendingconditions of the coolant temperature for controlling the amount of thecoolant to flow through the radiator 11, so that fluctuating or huntingof the coolant temperature may be minimized.

When the control portion 100 outputs the PWM duty signal as 100% for theheater 20 to output the heating value as 100%, the heater 20 is heatedat a predetermined interval for preventing from overheating of theheater 20 and disconnection due to overheat.

At a state that the control portion 100 controls the heating value ofthe heater 20 provided to the electronic thermostat 15, the controlportion 100 determines malfunction of the thermostat 15, storesdiagnosis code, and outputs warning message through an indicatingportion 200 if temperature changes of the coolant is not within apredetermined ranges.

The predetermined ranges are arbitrary value for determining whether thecurrent coolant temperature follow a target temperature or not.

The control portion 100 determines malfunction of the electronicthermostat 15 if real PWM duty signal supplied to the heater 20 of theelectronic thermostat 15 does not correspond to PWM duty signal forcontrolling the heater 20 applied by the control portion 100. And thenthe control portion 100 stores diagnosis code, and outputs warningmessage.

FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a control portion of an electronicthermostat control system according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the control portion 100 includes a control dutydetermination portion 1100, a driving portion 1300 and a fault diagnosisportion 1500.

The control duty determination portion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signalfor controlling the coolant temperature according to the coolanttemperature ET, the rising rate of the coolant temperature EdT, theengine speed RPM, the load LOAD, and the vehicle speed.

The control duty determination portion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signalas 100% for the heater 20 to output the heating value as 100% if thedetected coolant temperature ET is higher than the predetermined maximumtemperature DETH.

The control duty determination portion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signalas 0% for the heater 20 to output the heating value as 0% if thedetected coolant temperature ET is less than a predetermined minimumtemperature DETL.

The control duty determination portion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signalas gradually increased or decreased according to the engine speed RPM,the load LOAD, the vehicle speed RPM, and the rising rate of the coolanttemperature EdT if the detected coolant temperature ET is below thepredetermined maximum temperature DETH and higher than the predeterminedminimum temperature DETL.

At a state that the coolant temperature ET is higher than thepredetermined minimum temperature DETL, the control duty determinationportion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signal as 100% if any one ofconditions that the rising rate of the coolant temperature EdT is higherthan a predetermined standard rising rate DEdT, an engine speed(rotation speed, RPM) is higher than a predetermined standard rotationspeed DRPM, a load LOAD is higher than a predetermined standard loadDLOAD, and a vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined standardvehicle speed DSpeed.

The predetermined standard rising rate DEdT, the predetermined standardrotation speed DRPM, the predetermined standard load DLOAD, thepredetermined standard vehicle speed DSpeed are arbitrary values fordetermining maximum efficiency cooling is required and the values may bepredetermined by experiments.

At a state that the coolant temperature ET is higher than thepredetermined minimum temperature DETL, the control duty determinationportion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signal as gradually increased if therising rate of the coolant temperature EdT is less than thepredetermined standard rising rate DEdT, the engine speed (rotationspeed, RPM) is less than the predetermined standard rotation speed DRPM,the load LOAD is less than the predetermined standard load DLOAD, thevehicle speed is less than the predetermined standard vehicle speedDSpeed, the coolant temperature ET is higher than a predeterminedreference temperature RET1, and a difference between the coolanttemperature ET and a target temperature DET is less than a predeterminedhigh temperature determination value HT.

The control duty determination portion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signalas 100% if the coolant temperature ET is higher than the predeterminedreference temperature RET1, and the difference between the coolanttemperature ET and a target temperature DET is higher than thepredetermined high temperature determination value HT.

The target temperature DET may be determined according to the risingrate of the coolant temperature EdT, the engine speed RPM, the loadLOAD, the vehicle speed and so on, and the target temperature DET may bestored in a map through experiments.

At a state that the coolant temperature ET is higher than thepredetermined minimum temperature DETL, the control duty determinationportion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signal as gradually decreased if therising rate of the coolant temperature EdT is less than thepredetermined standard rising rate DEdT, the engine speed (rotationspeed, RPM) is less than the predetermined standard rotation speed DRPM,the load LOAD is less than the predetermined standard load DLOAD, thevehicle speed is less than the predetermined standard vehicle speedDSpeed, the coolant temperature ET is less than the predeterminedreference temperature RET1, and the difference between the coolanttemperature ET and the target temperature DET is less than apredetermined low temperature determination value LT.

The control duty determination portion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signalas 0% if the coolant temperature ET is less than the predeterminedreference temperature RET1, and the difference between the coolanttemperature ET and the target temperature DET is higher than thepredetermined low temperature determination value LT.

The predetermined reference temperature RET1 may be a stored coolanttemperature at a prior control cycle, and the high temperaturedetermination value HT and the low temperature determination value LTmay be temperatures for reflecting rising tendency and descendingtendency of the coolant temperature respectively.

In this case, the gradual increasing of the PWM duty signal denotes astate where gradual descending of the coolant temperature is required,and the gradual decreasing of the PWM duty signal denotes a state wheregradual increasing of the coolant temperature is required.

In this case, the 100% output of the PWM duty signal denotes a statewhere rapid descending of the coolant temperature is required, and the0% output of the PWM duty signal denotes a state where rapid increasingof the coolant temperature is required.

The control duty determination portion 110 includes a first comparator101 comparing the coolant temperature ET with the predetermined maximumtemperature DETH and outputting the results, a second comparator 102comparing the coolant temperature ET with the predetermined minimumtemperature ETL and outputting the results, a third comparator 103comparing rising rate of the coolant temperature EdT with the standardrising rate DEdT and outputting the results, a fourth comparator 104comparing the engine speed RPM with the standard rotation speed DRPM andoutputting the results, a fifth comparator 105 comparing the load LOADwith the standard load DLOAD and outputting the results, a sixthcomparator 106 comparing the vehicle speed with the standard vehiclespeed and outputting the results, a seventh comparator 107 comparing theoutput of the second comparator 102 with the stored referencetemperature RET1 and outputting to a high-side Hi Side, an eighthcomparator 108 comparing the output of the second comparator 102 withthe stored reference temperature RET1 and outputting to a low-side LowSide, a first logical circuit 109 logical summing the outputs from thethird comparator 106 to the sixth comparator 106 and outputting theresults, a NOT circuit 110 inverting the output of the first logicalcircuit 109 and outputting the results, a second logical circuit 111implementing AND operation of the outputs of the second comparator 102and the first logical circuit 109 and outputting the results, a thirdlogical circuit 112 implementing AND operation of the outputs of theseventh comparator 107 and the NOT circuit 110 and outputting theresults, a fourth logical circuit 113 implementing AND operation of theoutputs of the eighth comparator 108 and the NOT circuit 110 andoutputting the results, a fifth logical circuit 114 implementing ANDoperation of the outputs the first comparator 101 and the second logicalcircuit 111 and outputting the results, a sixth and seventh logicalcircuits 115 and 116 implementing AND operation of the output of thethird logical circuit 112 and a compared result of the high temperaturedetermination value HT and a difference between the coolant temperatureET and the predetermined target temperature DET and outputting theresults, and an eighth and ninth logical circuits 117 and 118implementing AND operation of the output of the eighth comparator 108and a compared result of the low temperature determination value LT anda difference between the coolant temperature ET and the predeterminedtarget temperature DET and outputting the results.

The driving portion 1300 the PWM duty signal transmitted from thecontrol duty determination portion 1100 supplies to the heater 20provided to the electronic thermostat at a predetermined time intervalfor adjusting heating value of the heater 20.

The driving portion 1300 outputs 100% duty signal at B time interval ifthe control duty determination portion 1100 outputs the PWM duty signalas 100% for preventing the heater 20 from being disconnected due tooverheating.

The driving portion 1300 adjusts output interval by applying A timeafter B time interval for preventing the heater 20 from beingdisconnected due to overheating if the control duty determinationportion outputs the PWM duty signal is consistently maintained.

The driving portion 1300 includes a logical circuit 131 implementing ANDoperation of the PWM duty signal output by the control dutydetermination portion 1100 and a predetermined reference value OPT, aNAND circuit 132 comparing the output of the logical circuit 131 and thePWM duty signal output by the control duty determination portion 1100and outputting inverted output, a B time circuit 133 maintaining theoutput of the logical circuit 131 at predetermined B time, and an A timecircuit 134 applying a predetermined time to the output of the NANDcircuit 132 for adjusting output interval.

The predetermined reference value OPT is an operating time determinationduty which is predetermined for comparing with the PWM duty signal andcontrolling the operation time of the heater 20.

The fault diagnosis portion 1500 determines whether the coolanttemperature follows the target temperature or not, and determinesmalfunction of the electronic thermostat if changes of the coolanttemperature does not follow the target temperature, stores diagnosiscode, and outputs warning message through the indicating portion 200.

The fault diagnosis portion 1500 determines malfunction of theelectronic thermostat 15 if real PWM duty signal supplied to the heater20 of the electronic thermostat 15 does not correspond to the PWM dutysignal for controlling the heater 20, stores diagnosis code, and outputswarning message.

The fault diagnosis portion 1500 includes a first comparator 151comparing the coolant temperature ET with a malfunction determinationtemperature RET2 and outputting to a high-side Hi Side, a secondcomparator 152 comparing the coolant temperature ET with the malfunctiondetermination temperature RET2 and outputting to a low-side Low Side, afirst logical circuit 153 implementing AND operation of the output ofthe control duty determination portion 1100 and “0”, a second logicalcircuit 154 implementing AND operation of the output of the firstcomparator 151 and “0”, a third logical circuit 155 implementing ANDoperation of the output of the second comparator 152 and “1”, a fourthlogical circuit 156 implementing AND operation of the output of thecontrol duty determination portion 1100 and “1”, a fifth logical circuit157 implementing AND operation of the output of the control dutydetermination portion 1100 and heater output value CPWM, a sixth logicalcircuit 158 implementing AND operation of the outputs of the firstlogical circuit 153 and the second logical circuit 154, a seventhlogical circuit 159 implementing AND operation of the outputs of thethird logical circuit 155 and the fourth logical circuit 156, and aneighth logical circuit 160 logical summing the outputs of the fifthlogical circuit 157, the sixth logical circuit 158 and the seventhlogical circuit 159 and outputting OBD signal of the electronicthermostat.

The predetermined malfunction determination temperature RET2 is atemperature for determining normal operation of the electronicthermostat control system according to whether the PWM duty control isrequired or not.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control method for an electronic thermostatcontrol system according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, at operation stateof the engine 10 (at the step S101), the control portion 100 receivesinformation of the coolant temperature ET detected from the coolanttemperature sensor 17, and also receives information including theengine speed RPM, the load LOAD, the vehicle speed and so on, andcalculates the coolant temperature rising rate Edt based on the detectedcoolant temperature ET at the step S102.

Then the control portion 100 compares the coolant temperature ET withthe predetermined maximum temperature DETH at the step S103.

At the step S103, it is determined that the coolant temperature ET ishigher than the predetermined maximum temperature DETH, the controlportion 100 outputs the PWM duty signal as 100% for the heating value ofthe heater 20 as 100% for the opening amount of the valve of electronicthermostat 15 to be maximized at the step S102.

Accordingly, the coolant exhausted from the engine 10 fully flowsthrough the radiator 11 to cool the engine 10 efficiently.

If it is determined that the coolant temperature ET is not higher thanthe predetermined maximum temperature DETH at the S103, the controlportion 100 compares the coolant temperature ET with the predeterminedminimum temperature DETL at the step S104.

At the step S104, if it is determined that the coolant temperature ET isless than the predetermined minimum temperature DETL, the controlportion 100 outputs the PWM duty signal as 0% for the heating value ofthe heater 20 as 0% at the step S130.

So, the coolant from the engine 17 is allowed to flow through the bypassline 14 for preventing coolant to be over cooled.

If it is determined that the coolant temperature ET is not higher thanthe predetermined maximum temperature DETH at the step 103 and thecoolant temperature ET is higher than the predetermined minimumtemperature DETL at the step S104, the control portion 100 determinesthe rising rate of the coolant temperature EdT, the engine speed RPM,the load LOAD, the vehicle speed, and the determines the PWM dutyaccording to the coolant temperature ET at the step S106.

For example, the control portion 100 determines whether the rising rateof the coolant temperature EdT is higher than the predetermined standardrising rate DEdT or not, the engine speed RPM is higher than thepredetermined standard rotation speed DRPM or not, the load LOAD ishigher than the predetermined standard load DLOAD or not, the vehiclespeed is higher than the predetermined standard vehicle speed DSpeed andso on, then determines the PWM duty according to the coolant temperatureET.

Then the control portion 100 compares the coolant temperature ET withthe predetermined target temperature DET and the deviation and thechanges of the temperature at the step S107, then determines whetherdescending control of the coolant temperature is required or not at thestep S108.

At the step S108, if the descending control of the coolant temperatureis required, the control portion 100 gradually raises the PWM dutysignal for controlling the heater 20 for cooling the coolant at the stepS109.

During the gradual raising the PWM duty signal at the step 109, thecontrol portion 100 determines whether the difference between thecoolant temperature ET and the predetermined target temperature DET ishigher than the high temperature determination value HT or not at thestep S110.

If the difference between the coolant temperature ET and thepredetermined target temperature DET is higher than the high temperaturedetermination value HT at the step S110, the control portion 100 outputsthe PWM duty signal as 100% at the step S111.

For example, the control portion 100 outputs the PWM duty signal asgradually increased if the rising rate of the coolant temperature EdT isless than the predetermined standard rising rate DEdT, the engine speedRPM is less than the predetermined standard rotation speed DRPM, theload LOAD is less than the predetermined standard load DLOAD, thevehicle speed is less than the predetermined standard vehicle speedDSpeed, the coolant temperature ET is higher than the predeterminedreference temperature RET1, and the difference between the coolanttemperature ET and the target temperature DET is less than thepredetermined high temperature determination value HT.

However, the control duty determination portion 1100 outputs the PWMduty signal as 100% if the difference between the coolant temperature ETand the target temperature DET is higher than the predetermined hightemperature determination value HT.

If the descending control of the coolant temperature is not required atthe step S108, the control portion 100 determines whether raisingcontrol of the coolant temperature is required or not at the step S112.

If the raising control of the coolant temperature is required at thestep S112, the control portion 100 gradually descends the PWM dutysignal for controlling the heater 20 for cooling the coolant at the stepS113.

During the gradual descending the PWM duty signal at the step 113, thecontrol portion 100 determines whether the difference between thecoolant temperature ET and the predetermined target temperature DET ishigher than the low temperature determination value LT or not at thestep S114.

If the difference between the coolant temperature ET and thepredetermined target temperature DET is higher than the low temperaturedetermination value LT at the step S114, the control portion 100 outputsthe PWM duty signal as 0% at the step S115.

With the control operations described above, since the opening amount ofthe valve of the electronic thermostat 15 according to the drivingcondition and the rising conditions or descending conditions of thecoolant temperature, so the flowing amount flowing through the radiator11 may be adjusted to and hunting of the coolant temperature may beprevented.

During the control of heating value of the heater 20 as showing in FIG.3, the control portion 100 detects the coolant temperature ET anddetermines whether the coolant temperature ET follows the predeterminedtarget temperature DET or not. If the coolant temperature ET does notfollow the predetermined target temperature DET, the control portion 100determines malfunction of the electronic thermostat 15, stores diagnosiscode, and outputs warning message through the indicating portion 200.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a fault diagnosis for an electronic thermostatcontrol system according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

During the control of the heating value of the heater 20 for controllingthe coolant temperature as shown in FIG. 3 at the step S201, the controlportion 100 detects the coolant temperature ET at the step S202, anddetermines whether the coolant temperature ET is higher than thepredetermined malfunction determination temperature RET2 or not at thestep S203.

If the coolant temperature ET is higher than the predeterminedmalfunction determination temperature RET2 at the step S203, the controlportion 100 determines whether the PWM duty signal is 0% for controllingthe heating value of the heater 20 or not at the step S204.

If the PWM duty signal is 0% at the step the S204, the control portion100 determines the malfunction of the electronic thermostat 15 at thestep S205, stores diagnosis code, and outputs warning message throughthe indicating portion 200 at the step S206.

If the coolant temperature ET is not higher than the predeterminedmalfunction determination temperature RET2 at the step S203, the controlportion 100 determines whether the PWM duty signal is 100% forcontrolling the heating value of the heater 20 or not at the step S207.

If the PWM duty signal is 100% at the step the S207, the control portion100 determines the malfunction of the electronic thermostat 15 at thestep S205, stores diagnosis code, and outputs warning message throughthe indicating portion 200 at the step S206.

If the coolant temperature ET is higher than the predeterminedmalfunction determination temperature RET2, the coolant needs to becooled. However, in this case the PWM duty signal is output as 0%, it isdetermined that the system is out of order.

If the coolant temperature ET is not higher than the predeterminedmalfunction determination temperature RET2, the coolant needs not to becooled. However, in this case the PWM duty signal is output as 100%, itis determined that the system is out of order.

The malfunction determination temperature RET2 is a temperature fordetermining whether malfunction of the system or not, and themalfunction determination temperature RET2 may be set throughexperiments.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appendedclaims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner” and “outer” are used todescribe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to thepositions of such features as displayed in the figures.

The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. arrangements included within the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A control method for an electronic thermostatcontrol system, comprising: detecting operation states of a vehicleincluding a coolant temperature, a rising rate of the detected coolanttemperature, an engine speed, a load and a vehicle speed; determiningwhether the detected coolant temperature is within a predeterminedtemperature range; determining whether coolant temperature changesatisfies a rising control condition or a descending control conditionwhen the detected coolant temperature is within the predeterminedtemperature range, and adjusting the detected coolant temperature bycontrolling an operation of an electronic thermostat; and diagnosingmalfunction of the electronic thermostat by comparing a targettemperature with the detected coolant temperature controlled by theelectronic thermostat, wherein a valve of the electronic thermostat isopened fully for a coolant flowing through a radiator maximized when thedetected coolant temperature is higher than a maximum temperature of thepredetermined temperature range; and wherein the valve of the electronicthermostat is closed fully for the coolant flowing through the radiatorminimized when the detected coolant temperature is less than a minimumtemperature of the predetermined temperature range.
 2. The controlmethod of claim 1, wherein the malfunction of the thermostat isdetermined when changes of the detected coolant temperature do notfollow a target temperature, or the changes of the detected coolanttemperature does not correspond to a control of the electronicthermostat, and after the malfunction of the thermostat is determined,warning message is output.